TUESDAY, July 16th, 1844.

Auckland Chronicle and New Zealand Colonist, Volume 2, Issue 50, 18 July 1844, Page 3

TUESDAY, July 16th, 1844.

Present all the members. The minutes of the last meeting were read and oufii mod. The Governor said as lie was about fo leave Auckland for a few weeks by the Hazard , on Saturday next, he would beg leave to propose that the Conned do meet on Wednesday m Order that the Council proceedings might be closed prior to Ids leaving—Agreed to. Mr. Clifford called tlie attention of the Council to tbe necessity of establishing a Savings Bank. The Governor said lie was iliankiul to the lion, member'.or bringing the matter be oro the Council as if such Banks had been established we should not see so many broken bottles strewed about Auckland and Port Nicholson, tiut he hoped before the meeting ot the next Council there would fie at least one Savings Bank m Auckland,and the hon. member might depend that all tie assist nee government could rendei in die formation of such Banks should be done very freely. The Governor said as it would fake some time to engioss the “ Land CLiniants Estate Bill,” and tbe “ Licensing Amendment Bill,” lie shou d propose that they be now read a second timeThe “L ,u Claimants Estate Bill,’’was then read a second dme in which a debate arose, when the governor proposed the further, consideration of the Bill be postponed until Wednesday next, in order to give the Attorney General time to amend it so as to meet the views of ail the members.

The “ Licensing Amendment Bill.” was thea proceeded with. Preamble read and agffeed to. On clause I being read the Attorney General moved the following resolution—- “ Such Licenses shall not be granted at any tiro# beyond the expiration of two years after the arrival' of the first Police Magistrate appointed to reside at such new settlement.” Which was agreed to. Clause 1 as amended read and agreed to. On clause 2 being read a discussion arose a 9 the distance which houses ought to be situated from Auckland, when it was ultimately agreed that three miles from the boundary of the town be the distance to which Licenses could be granted under the privileges of this Bill. Clause 2 as amended read and agreed-to. Clauses 3, and 4, read, and after a slight alteration wera agreed to. The Bill was ordered to be engrossed and reads third time on Wednesday. POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT. ’ The order of the day was moved to take into consideration Dr. Martin’s propositionfvia,, “that the < oun'-.l should enquire into the operation of the Post Olli - - gelations, and that the result of such enquiries s..<>uld be forwarded to the Secretary of State for the Colonies.” The first gentleman called before the Council was Wjlliam Connell Esq, late deputy Postmaster General, who said, in reply to questions put to him, that he had experienced the woiking ol the local ordinance as well as the regulations from the Post Master General in England ; he thonght the local , ordinance better adaptedjfor this Colony than th« Home regulations which were now in operation £ that according to the late Colonial ordinance there was no loss to the Post Office on Newspapers itthey were not taken away, but according to the present ‘ regulations there was a decided loss ,- that there was no charge (more than that paid in England) On letters or papers which came from England to Anckland direct, but if the vessel-touched at any Port, prior to coming here, there was an inlaud postage of 4d. on a letter and Id, on each news* paper, and this was the chief grievance ; that the inland commuoicttioß is not So complete as it might be, yet there is frequent communication! both to the North arid South * that thete bas bee® onlv one line of communication opened and that was to Port Nicholson Via Kafia and New Plymouth ; the mails are despatched from Port Nicholson to New Plymouth twice ’a momh and from NeWT Plymouth to Auckland once a moinh ; that tbo Post Office department here was entirely under th* the contron! of the Home department and should therebeanv surplus funds, after payingallexpcnses sncli funds are to be remitted home, but he did not' think it likely there will be any surplus; that all papers refused in New Zealand were to be returned' * to the General Post Office in London and for carry* ing these papers home Captains received no gra» ’ tuity, hui on all papers ihey brought out they received a penny for each at the first Port they touched and should they have again to canty* this- -> same papers to any other Pint they received as a ■ gratuity, a penny on each paper and a halfpenny on each letter; does not know' that Captains ever complained of carrying papers free; that not one half of the papers were taken from the Post Office on account of the postage ; lhat lie considers the postage on newspapers a check on tbe diffusion of knowledge arid had no doubt die more generally information was made known th-more hk-ly th* Colony was to prosper, thai his impression was dial a Captain of a vessel tront England or else*, where who had a mail on boara for New Zealand was bound to deliver ii up at the first Port h« touched at, aihough die triad bags might not be directed tor dial Port but for some other in New Zealand , that the average rut-- of po-tage on 10 )0 letters, bv die late system, was 7£-'t. and try tne present td. was realized ; that h • ihougliifliiat a man might go to Wellington in a l<> tniglil provdel he had a horse and the u.,e of a boat lorje poi tion oT the road ; that the gratuity paid to the Captain of a vessel for bringing each letter from England to New Zealand was 2d. each and tram one Port of New Zealand to another a half-penny each, P.D. Hogg Esq, the present Collector of Custom* and lately deputy Post Mast- r General, was then examined, he said he agreed with tbe statement made by Mr. Connell, generally, but there was on* minor point in which lie differed ; he thougt that if the Governor sent Despatches to England or else* where by a private individual the Post Office here bad no light io inteifere with such person ; tbatany Captain of a vessel carrying letters, except receiv* ed through die Post Office would b<- liable to & fine according to the law a< it stands at present; tint there miglii be lines of communication opened through tbe inteiiorol the country with advantage to the public ; that he?was sine the authorities at home could nd provide or carry out the plaus of opening new lines ot communication from tbo peculiar situations of the country as there wa» ? 3000 uiies of sea coast, and at various points alono die coas there w >s seil’ements which at present are nor thickly inhabited but those settlements wer« incieasing and was lik ly to coain«,- increasing* that tne late Co lector of Customs had power to open new lines of communication, (provided he had funds) but from die pressure of business to be done by the Collector ot Custom, it was impossible b.r him io attend the the dimes o; the post Office* dtat he had heard a g ,od deal of c mpiainU against the present postage on newsp .p ■ s and the Post Office derives no benefit from such postage, tint on (be Coiitrarv there "a- many li-.wWtts of papers now lying ai th, p„ sl w |„ [, |,' a( £ been lefused on -cciunt ot ttie postage and for which Captains of vessels Imd received £ J IS foe bringing tuein, wh.oli of course was a dead loss to th - department. Felton Matthew Esq, ifie prp«ent actiri" Post* Master General was then called and sail h° full* coincided with the rtnivuce given by tiie,uvo last gentlemen, there was one or two minor points b- statement made try Mr. Connell, where be saya die communication to Wellington might he accuq« piisbment in a fortnight, l do not thick, from th* natuial difficulties that present themselves, that the distance could be accomplished in that t’ime - it is my opinion that any man would be liable tu be puuished if he earned despatches, except be tceived them through the Post Office and I

not aware that the distance from Auckland to Taranaki has been accomplished in less than 10 days. This closed the examination. Ou motioq of the Governor, the following Bills were theoTead a third time end passed— Summary Proceeding Amendment Bill* Unsworn Testimony Bill, Harbour Regulations Amendment Bill. Native Exemption Bill. German Naturalization Bill. On motion of the Governor, the farther coniid„ cration of the “ Land Claimants'Estate Bill,” was proceeded with, after consideration thereof. On motion of the Governor, it was ordered “ That *aid Bill be engrossed and read a third time on Wednesday, “ the 17tb instant.” Council adjourned to Wednesday, 17th July 1844. WEDNESDAY, July 17th, 1814. Present all the members. The rainutss of the last meeting were read and confirm'd. The Attorney General moved the Order of the day for the consideration of Mr. Brown’s Report. Mr, Brown then handed the Clerk of Council bis Report, which was read to the Council. The Governor moved that the Report be read again and considered paragraph by paragraph. Agreed to. A discussion then took place on the Report and after a few alterations, and much deliberation it was adoptedThe petition of W. Trusted was then taken into consideration, when it was agreed to be left to the consideration and decision of the Executive Council. The “Dog Nuisance,“ Land Claimants Estate,” and the “ Licensing Amendment Bills,” were then read a third time and passed. The Council then adjourned to Thorsday, July 18th, (this day) at two o’clock